New Delhi: The Rajasthan high court on Monday issued bailable warrants against six of the eight people accused of lynching Pehlu Khan in 2017, LiveLaw reported. The accused, who were acquitted by an Alwar court in 2019, allegedly assaulted Khan when they found him and his sons transporting cattle, resulting in his death.The order was passed by Justices Goverdhan Bardhar and Vijay Bishnoi while admitting two appeals; one filed by Khan’s sons Irshad and Arif and the other by the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government in 2020, filed against the Alwar court’s acquittal order.On April 1, 2017, Khan and his sons were on their way from Nuh, in Haryana, to Jaipur when they were stopped on the Jaipur-Delhi highway by a group of cow vigilantes on the suspicion of cow smuggling. The mob thrashed Khan and on April 3, in an Alwar hospital, he succumbed to the injuries sustained.An FIR was filed against the mob but the accused were acquitted by the Alwar court in 2019. The court’s decision garnered widespread disapproval for a number of reasons. Khan had allegedly named his attackers in his dying declaration, however, these names were not recorded by the police in the statements given by Khan’s sons. The accused in the case are Vipin Yadav, Ravindra Kumar, Kaluram, Dayanand, Yogesh, and Bhim Singh.Additionally, there were allegations that the alibis provided by the accused were not thoroughly cross-examined, a confession made by one of the accused, Vipin Yadav, to NDTV was dismissed and supposed video footage of the incident, recorded by the assailants, had not been admitted by the court.Also read: Pehlu Khan Case: With HC Expected To Hear Appeal, Here Are Key Facts Ignored by Trial CourtMoreover, a second FIR had been filed following Khan’s death, alleging the deceased and his two sons of cow smuggling. Despite the accused having the requisite permits, the police alleged that Khan and his sons had not received permission from the district collector to transport the cattle.The FIR against Khan and his two sons was quashed by the Rajasthan high court in 2019.The current plea filed by Khan’s sons avers that there are several eyewitnesses who have specifically identified the accused by name but whose testimonies were not considered by the Alwar court. Further, the plea notes that weapons had been recovered from the accused’s possession and that the credible testimonies of the eyewitness were junked by the trial court without reason.The Rajasthan high court directed that the bailable warrants be issued against the six accused to ensure their presence before the court.
